Have you ever visited Abraham Lincoln’s home in Springfield, Illinois? If not, I thought I’d share a little bit about it since we had so much fun while we were there!
Pictured below is the house he and his family called home from 1844 to 1861, which is when he became President and moved to Washington D.C. 
The whole neighborhood is actually a National Park now and because the National Park Service has done such a great job restoring the four blocks surrounding his home, touring the area felt just like a step back in time. They removed all the paved roads and replaced them with gravel just like they would’ve had back in the 1800s.
There were even a couple of campaign wagons parked up against nearby curbs:
Tours of the inside of the Lincoln home are free and what a trip it was to pass through the same front gate and into the same home that he was photographed standing in front of below!
See him there, with his sons, in the corner of their yard?
One of my favorite parts about being inside their home was seeing their fireplace mantel and learning that the tiny holes across the top of it were from the Christmas stockings Abe and his wife hung there for their boys.
The weather was absolutely perfect the day we visited (in late October) and all the trees were covered in colorful leaves.
We roamed around for a couple of hours and at every turn there were beautifully-restored historic homes, loaded with architectural character.
The Harriet Dean house was my favorite:
It was constructed in the 1850s and is located right across the street from Abraham Lincoln’s home. Apparently, Mr. Lincoln sold her the lot for $125 and he also passed it every day on his walk to and from his offices and the courthouse in downtown Springfield, which is only a few blocks away.
My favorite fun fact we learned that day: That Abraham Lincoln was crazy about cats. One friend is reported to have recalled, “He would take one and turn it on its back and talk to it for an hour at a time.” And because of this love of cats, Secretary of State William Seward presented President Lincoln with two kittens as a gift early in his administration in August of 1861.
Our park ranger/tour guide also shared that one time President Lincoln fed a pet cat named “Tabby” with a gold fork during a White House meal. Mrs. Lincoln got upset and scolded the President. Lincoln replied, “If a gold fork was good enough for former President Buchanan, it’s good enough for Tabby.”
Anywho, if you ever get a chance to visit, we highly recommend the tour. Especially when the trees turn yellow! 😀
Layla
Layla! My in-laws live in Illinois and a few years ago, we “did” the Abraham Lincoln sites in the area. It was great fun and the cousins enjoyed spending time together. I have the same pictures of the house and the campaign wagon that you have …. my son (who was probably around 10 at the time) has a great picture of the three-hole outhouse (boys will be boys ….. ). We also visited his tomb and the New Salem reconstructed town site (http://www.lincolnsnewsalem.com/) and I would recommend those as well. Thanks for bringing back fun memories. I love it that you are providing your little guy with these opportunities.
I haven’t been there yet, but we did visit Mary Todd’s home in Lexington.
Thanks for sharing!
By the way, I’m not sure if it was just my phone or my eyes or what, but this print was very difficult for me to read. It was quite light and very small.
How beautiful… added to my bucket list !!
Thank You for sharing.
I only live about an hour and a half from Springfield. I go there regularly for meetings. Hope you took in the museum while you were there. It is really cool.
We also visited there a year ago and enjoyed it thoroughly! Did visit the Presidential Library and Museum too? That was also a highlight of our trip. I have some of the same pics you showed on your post. I agree with you – one of those “have to visit” places in the beautiful midwest!!!!
We took a road trip to MT this summer and stopped in Springfield on the way. I’m a huge history buff and absolutely loved this street of preserved houses. I wish I could have walked into each one! Glad you had a great time! Our kids loved the Abe Lincoln Library and Museum as well.